Bucket-latch for shovels



W. l. NEWMAN.

BUCKET LATCH FOR sHovELs.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30, 1918.

1,347,967, v Paflted July 2;?, 1920.,

zi/fag? @i @Wd UNITED STATES nPiATEN-l* OiFf-Fl-cE.

V WILLIAM J. NEWMAN,

To all whom it may concern.' f

Be itknown that I, IVILLIAM J. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing -at Chicago, in the eounty'of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bucket-Latches forShovels, ofwhich the following is a speciication.

The clipper doors of shovels of the type commonly knownv as steamshovels, are usually hingedat the back and provided with latchescomprising bolts secured to they Vdoors and engaging with sockets in thefront of the clipper. lhen the clipper is' full of heavy material suchas 'stone or clay, it requires considerable force to withdraw the `boltsto unlatch the doors for clumping. The usual device for operating theseboltsincludes levers which project downwardly some distance below thebottom of the clipper. In using such shovels, particularly forexcavating material where the material is to be dumped into wagons ormotor trucks, these downwardly projecting levers require the clipper tobe raised a sufficient distance above the wagon or truck body so as toclear the levers. This frequently means that the clipper must be heldapproximately a foot or more above the box or body when the load' isdumped. As these clippers frequently hold from one to five tons, thedropping of this load tends to injure the bodies and also tends toinjure the Springs of the motor trucks as well as otherwise injuring thesame.

The present invention relates to means for unlatching the clipper door.The objects of this invention are to provide a simple and efficientmechanism of this character whereby the bolt may be easily withdrawn andthe door unlatched; to provide a mechanism whereby the catch may beoperated, which will require little or no head room; to provide a latchoperating mechanism whereby the clipper or shovel may be lowered to apoint adjacent to the top of the wagon or truck box which is to receivethe load, and in some instances the bottom of the shovel may extend intosuch box; and in general to provide such an improved apparatus as willbe described more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention;

Figure l is a side view of a shovel pro- BUcKn'r-LA'rcrr son sirovELs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

or cHIeAeo,l ILLINoIs.

vPatented uly 27,1920.

Application filed August 30, 1918. Serial No. 252,053;

vidled: with my improved latch mechanism; anc

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view ofthe same.

As'illustratecl in these drawings, the dip-l per stick or handle 3 anddipper or shovel l are intended to` represent any ordinary or preferredforms of such devices. The clipper door 5 is hinged tothe clipper at 6and is provided with abolt 7 whichy engages with a catch or socket 8' inthe usual manner.

In order to operate the bolt 7, I provide a shaft 9 which is mountedinbearings 10 in brackets 11 which are secured tothe dip--Y per stick 3 inany well known manner as Vby means of bolts 12. .A chain or cable 13 is'secured at one end to the bolt 7 and its opposite end is secured totheshaft -9 'so that when the shaft is turned, it serves as a winding drumand the chain or cable will be wound thereon. This shaft is providedwith an operating arm 14 which is secured at one end thereof and extendsupwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. A rope or cable 15 is connected to thisarm and leads to a convenient point to be'reached by the engineer oroperator. In order to limit the movement of the arm 14, provide stops 16and 17 which may be conveniently formed on the bracket 11 or may beadjustably attached thereto. also preferably providedl with acounterweight to hold it in position to allow-the bolt 7 to slide intolocking position by gravity. In order to provide such a counterweight, IattachV a second arm 18 to the shaft, this arm being provided with aweight 19 which may be formed thereonor acljustably secured thereto. YIt will be seen that by means of this arrangement, the operatorV maylower the shovel or clipper to a point approximately even with the topof the wagon or truck box Y when the load is to be delivered into suchvehicle. Then by pulling on the rope or cord 15, the lever 14.- willturn the shaft 9.

and wind up the chain 13 and thereby pull The shaft 9 is depositedtherein in a comparativelygentle manner instead of with a shock as isordinarily done. It will alsobe lnoted that this It will be noted thatthe details of con-'i struction may bevaried for different types ofshovels and differentdipper arms without departing from the scope ofthis invention, and therefore I do notwish to be limited to the exactconstruction or arrangement herein shown and described, but

What I claim and desire to secure by Letshaft to the door latch foropening the ters Patent is: .l

1.-The combination with a steam shovel adapted for filling wagons ortrucks and having the usualdipper and dipper stick,

of a shaft mounted transversely of the stick, a chain Afrom said shaftto the latch bolt l operating rope connected with said arm,

and 'stops for limiting the movement lof said arm to prevent the freeend of theV arm from swinging below the shaft.

` 2. The combination" with a dipper and dipper handle, of bracketssecured to said said shaft and tending to vturn the `same to A normalposition to permit the locking ofthe latcllrwhen the dipper swung todigging position. 51" y L 3. The co'y bination with a digging dipper andits supporting handle, of bearingssecured to said handle, a Vwindingshaft mounted in said bearings, a chain from the latter, an armextending. upwardly from said shaft, an operatingcable for said arm,stops for limiting the movements of said arm,4 and a counterweightextending upwardly from said shaft, the arrangement being such that allof the parts are substanthe bottom of the dipper.

tially above Y. WILLIAlW J. NEWMAN.V

